This invention relates to a protective covering or enclosure for electrical cables and the like; and more particularly relates to a novel and improved protective molding assembley in running cables along a floor or wall surface together with an entry tool for disassembling the components of the molding assembly.
There is an ever-increasing demand and need for protective covering systems for running electrical cables in a building and specifically when it is necessary to extend the cable along an interior wall or floor surface.
Various cover systems have been devised to the end of simplifying their construction, reducing the time and labor necessary for installation of the cable and cover system and at the same time making the cover system as versatile as possible so as to be conformable for use in interior and exterior surfaces of a building.
In the past, various approaches have been taken to the construction of a snap-together clip and cover assembly. Typically, the clip is the base member which is anchored to the wall surface and preferably as close as possible to a baseboard or other molding strip so as to blend with the trim or molding and not unduly detract from the appearance of tho wall. Among other problems associated with present designs is to maintain adequate but uniform spacing between the clip or base member and the adjacent molding so that when the cover is engaged over the clip the cover will be in abutting relation, or substantially so, to the molding. Furthermore, it is desirable to incorporate into the clip a temporary retainer for positioning and retaining the cable in position within the clip preliminary to installation of the cover; and it is desirable that the retainers be formed as a unitary part of the clip member and particularly to be able to use the existing sidewall of the clip which can be bent into position over the cable so that the cable will not accidentally slip out of the clip as the cover is being installed.
Another desirable feature of cover assemblies of the type described is to so construct the clip and protective cover that the cover will spring into snap-fit relation to the clip so as to be securely retained against accidental separation; yet the parts may be positively released with the aid of an entry tool or key as well as to discourage attempts by unauthorized personnel to open or release the cover to gain access to the cable. For example, it has been proposed to establish interfitting engagement between a cover and clip by means of complementary sidewalls and to provide some form of temporary retainer for electrical cables within the clip portion. Representative patents are U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,124 to D. Santucci, U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,314 to D. E. Mock, U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,257 to P. W. Taylor and U.S. Pat. No. 1,217,398 to W. A. Bonnell. There is lacking any suggestion of employing tightly doubled-over metal flange portions which are capable of springing into snap-fit abutting relation to one another or to slot the flange portions at spaced intervals to form temporary retainers for the cable.
It has been proposed in the past to provide for interfitting sidewalls between a cover and clip in which the sidewalls of the cover substantially overlap the clip member and require some form of re-entry tool or key to release the cover, reference being made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,580 to J. B. Trautwein. However, in the present invention it is proposed to establish interfitting engagement between complementary, doubled-over flange portions between the sidewalls of a cover and clip in such a way as to discourage unauthorized removal or release of the cover but at the same time enable positive release through the utilization of a novel and improved re-entry tool.
Other patents of interest are U.S. Pat. No. 2,039,886 to A. Cohn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,195 to A. M. Schwab, U.S. Pat. No. 1,189,208 to F. C. Hodkinson and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,262,083 and 3,721,762 to G. A. Gooding.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved protective cover assembly for electrical cables and the like which is economical to construct and install while being readily conformable for use in securing an electrical cable to different wall or floor surfaces.
Another object of the present invention is to provide in a protective cover assembly for electrical cables for a novel and improved clip member having unitary cable retainers and spacer tabs to facilitate installation of the cover assembly in a minimum of time; and further wherein the clip member is provided with a novel and improved form of fastener slot for rapid installation utilizing different types of fasteners or wall anchors depending upon the composition of the surface receiving the fastener.
A further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel and improved protective cover assembly comprised of a two-piece clip and outer cover strip movable into interfitting engagement with the clip and in such a way as to prevent or discourage releasing or tampering with the cover strip; and in this connection to provide for a novel and improved form of entry tool specifically designed to disconnect the cover from the clip when necessary.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide for a novel and improved protective cover assembly for electrical cables and the like which facilitates attachment and positioning along a floor or wall surface and in uniformly and closely spaced relation to a baseboard or other trim and which lends itself well to construction out of sheet metal, extruded aluminum or plastic materials and is comprised of a minimum number of parts.
In accordance with the present invention, a preferred form of protective cover assembly for electrical cables may be extended along a wall or floor surface and comprises a plurality of elongated, generally U-shaped clip members, each clip member having a substantially flat base, opposite sidewalls each terminating in an upper end portion and each having a downwardly directed flange on an outer surface thereof, means for anchoring each clip member to a wall or floor surface, and an elongated generally U-shaped cover means having opposite side portions extending from a common panel, each side portion having an inturned, upwardly directed flange movable into interfitting or abutting engagement with one of the downwardly facing flanges on said clip member so as to be in a substantially common plane in retaining said cover means in position over said clip members.
Preferably, in the construction of the clip members, the external flanges on the sidewalls are defined by U-shaped return portions compressed tightly against the external surfaces of the sidewalls and the sidewalls have outwardly convergent inclined end portions to guide the side portions of the cover into overlapping interfitting engagement with the clip members. Correspondingly, the side portions of the cover have U-shaped return portions to define the inturned flanges and which are tightly compressed against the inner surfaces of the side portions.
The sidewalls of the clip members are provided with temporary retainers formed out of the sidewalls together with spacer tabs which extend laterally and outwardly away from the sidewalls at longitudinally spaced intervals to establish uniform spacing between the cover assembly and side edge of a baseboard or other trim strip so as to speed up installation and assure adequate spacing for proper engagement of the cover with the clip members.
Still another feature resides in the use of a special form of anchor slot to facilitate fastening with different types of fastener members in accordance with the composition of the wall surface and in such a way as to minimize the number of steps and time required for installation of anchor-type wall fasteners. As employed herein, the terms xe2x80x9cinnerxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9couterxe2x80x9d refer respectively to locations near to or relatively away from the base of the clip member; and, at the same time, the terms xe2x80x9cinternalxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cexternalxe2x80x9d are intended to refer respectively to the inside and outside surfaces of the clip and cover members.